After a nearly two-year absence, “Louie” triumphantly returns to TV this month. Comedian, actor, writer, director, and producer Louis C.K. will finally be back with perhaps one of the greatest modern comedies on TV.
Thank f*#king god.
We need Louis C.K. in our lives. We need him on a daily basis. We need him like we need oxygen, water, and sweet-smelling fabric softener. Why do we need a guy in his mid-to-late forties who looks like a tax collector from San Bernadino County?
Because Louis C.K. tells the truth.
Louis C.K. is funny. Everyone knows that. But the real secret to the man’s brilliance is his ability to find the painful truth in life and make it absolutely hilarious. Few people do it better than him. His discomfort in the way his life is being lived is comedy gold to those of us who watch it.
What’s so great about the guy is his accessibility. Louis C.K. seems like he could be your friend. Unlike other man crushes (I’m looking at you, Mr. George Clooney), this one seems like it might come true. Louie just might hang out with you. He would bust your balls, make you laugh, and, more importantly, give you some insight on life – however painful – that you might not have ever had. That’s worth more than a simple “man crush” – that deserves the label of “man worship.”
There is no more honest of a scene in “Louie” than the one where he’s helping his daughter brush her teeth and she is talking very matter-of-factly (as kids do) about how she likes staying over at her mother’s house better. And Louie just takes it all in, calmly nodding his head, making sure his daughter’s teeth are clean, listening and not getting angry about it. Then he sweetly tells her to go to bed, When his daughter leaves the bathroom, Louie gives her the finger behind her back. It is funny and awful and, most importantly, true. (I’m a parent. Yeah, I’ve done that.)
When you watch episodes of “Louie” you are not only looking for the laughs but you are looking for that moment in the show where something awful happens to Louie and you just go, “ouch.” Louis C.K.’s pain is so real to us because deep down we feel the exact same way. We are all confused, lonely, and frustrated about what life has thrown in our faces. There are days where we end up like Louie; lying in bed with a blanket over us, watching TV and eating a big ass bowl of ice cream, all the while just feeling disgusted with ourselves. And still, we are able to laugh at it rather than cry…and eat more ice cream.* Those are the Louie moments we treasure.
(*Speaking of food, go on YouTube and look up Louis C.K.’s stand up act where he talks about the shame and guilt he feels while eating a Cinnabon. It is sad, hilarious and unfortunately hits all too close to home.)
Seeing Louis C.K. rise from a working comic to a voice of a generation is truly inspiring. It’s always great to see a guy who sticks to his guns about what he thinks is entertaining, even when that guy is struggling to make a name for himself and doesn’t really do so until much later in his life. Louis C.K. doesn’t try to be anything more than what he is – a guy just barely holding on in life while at the same time trying to find the meaning of it. When you are that true to yourself, you are automatically funny.
Oh yeah, and he’s the creative genius behind the cult classic, “Pootie Tang.” So anyone that can come up with something so ridiculous as, “I’m gonna sine your pitty on da runny kine,” deserves a massive, massive man crush, no matter what the man looks like.
